Beth Lafeber walks her dog, Sophie, around Lake Colby Lake in Woodbury. Lafeber says she walks five days a week when the weather permits. Woodbury is trying to buy land for tarils around two lkaes, at t avery high cost. The value of lakefront property creates a race between developers and cities and once an area is developed, public access to the lake is lost. Of the 65 lakes in the metro area that are larger than 10 acres, fewer than 10 are rimmed by trails. (Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson)

That might be harder than you’d think. And we’re not talking about wind chill or ice.

Even though Minnesota has 11,000-plus lakes, including about 65 sizable lakes in the metro area, a lake encircled by a walking trail is relatively rare.

City leaders in St. Paul and Minneapolis bought land around lakes more than a century ago, enabling trails that have made a dramatic difference.

In the St. Paul area, Lake Owasso in Shoreview and Gervais Lake in Little Canada are roughly the same size as Phalen. Yet Phalen is far more popular — and one reason is the trail around it, according to Adam Johnson, vice president of marketing for Visit St. Paul.

Lake Como, too, shows the impact of a trail. “I have been around Como in summertime and have seen it packed,” he said.

Johnson points out that year after year, the Twin Cities is picked by outside groups as one of the healthiest areas in the nation.

“How could that be? It makes you wonder, when we all spend a number of months in the cold,” he said. He believes it is the trail systems around lakes that influence the list-makers.

On the other side of the metro, a spokeswoman for Meet Minneapolis, the convention and visitors association, describes that city’s Chain of Lakes as a “jewel.”

“Access to parks and lakes and the Mississippi River are huge pluses,” said Kristen Montag. “That is part of our branding, having access to those things. It could have been done the other way, with houses up to the lakes.”

As the experience in the developing suburbs shows, it’s difficult to get that land.

Liz Wielinski, president of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, said suburbs trying to establish trails around lakes should plan well in advance — and spend money to buy land.

Once even a single lakefront house is built — with streets and sewer and water connections — the land can be prohibitively expensive to buy up.

Wielinski sees the difference on Cedar Lake, where much of the shoreline is privately owned. The trails go only partway around — one reason the lake isn’t as popular as nearby Lake of the Isles.

She said the city has tried to broach the subject of getting shoreline easements to build a trail around Cedar. “When we do that,” she said, “it sets off a firestorm.”

Most cities have some kind of park or boat access on their lakes, but Wielinski said that’s not the same as having a trail around an entire lake.

She cited a survey that said park users value a trail around a body of water more highly than any other park amenity — including playgrounds, picnic areas or athletic fields.

She notices the difference when she tries to walk around Highland Lake in Columbia Heights, where she lives.

“You can go halfway around the lake, then you end up in a street grid, and some streets have dead ends. It takes you an extra hour. It’s not convenient at all,” Wielinski said.

Woodbury is one suburb that planned ahead.

“There was a conscious decision way back when to preserve as much lakeshore as possible,” said parks and recreation director Bob Klatt. As a result, the city has several lakes — Marksgraf, Powers, Colby and Wilmes — that are fully or nearly encircled by trails.

Now, the city would like to buy two remaining private properties around Colby Lake and one on Wilmes Lake. It also is buying land around La Lake, in a mostly undeveloped area in the southwest part of the city.

The city is not pressuring landowners, Klatt said, but has asked them to consider selling to the city if they decide to put their property on the market.

Klatt said lakeshore property is worth more for homebuyers. But he said putting a trail around a lake can boost property values for an entire neighborhood.

The issue is a dilemma for Tom Wiener, president-elect of the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors. “I am torn,” said Wiener, of Cardinal Realty and Cardinal Homebuilders.

On one hand, he said, a single lot in Woodbury today might sell for $100,000 but would be worth $200,000 if it were on a lake.

He said that as a matter of property rights, the builder should be able to make a profit — and the homebuyer should be able to get more enjoyment — from a home on a lake.

But he admits that trails around lakes can benefit neighborhoods.

The approach varies from city to city, he said.

Woodbury, for example, is known for lake-circling trails. “It’s kind of a feature of Woodbury. They have done a great job on the trail system,” Wiener said.

But most suburbs are known for high-value lakefront homes, not for lake trails. Lake Elmo, Eagan and Apple Valley are peppered with lakes that are circled by private property instead of parks.

Bob is a 40-year veteran (yes, he is grizzled) who edited one Pulitzer Prize winner and wrote two that were nominated. He has also worked in Des Moines, Colorado Springs and Palo Alto. He writes about the suburbs, the environment, housing, religion -- anything but politics. Secret pleasures: Kayaking on the Mississippi on the way to work, doughnuts brought in by someone else. Best office prank: Piling more papers onto Fred Melo’s already trash-covered desk.

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